Short Takes

By Erin O'Briant

Logo, Volunteers Needed for Harvest Festival

The second annual Noe Valley Harvest Festival is ripening on the vine as organizers gear up for the kids-only logo contest and recruit volunteers for the October event. The music-filled festival will take place on 24th Street between Church and Sanchez on Saturday, Oct. 21.

According to Norine Traci-Maloney, the festival chair, "We will be having many of the same fun and exciting events, such as the pumpkin patch, stroller obstacle course, and, of course, the dog and children costume contest." The Noe Valley Farmers' Market on 24th Street between Sanchez and Vicksburg will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. that day. The Noe Valley Merchants will sponsor a hayride, and many merchants and artists will sell their wares.

The logo contest is officially under way for all kids under age 18 who live or attend school in (or very near) Noe Valley. Get out your sketch pads and pencils, because the winner gets great prizes: $100 cash, a free six-week drawing workshop at Artery, $50 in art supplies, plus a surprise gift certificate. (The runner-up receives $50 in art supplies and a $25 gift certificate.)

The contest winner will work with a graphic artist to produce the final logo, which will be used on festival banners, posters, and other publicity items.

To participate in the contest, drop off your 81/2-by-11-inch logo to Donna Davis at Forbeadin, located on Church Street near 24th Street, or mail your logo to: Noe Valley Festival Logo Contest, c/o Mary Teahan-Duffy, Glencar Graphics, 3953 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. All entries received by July 30 will be considered. Remember, parental help is discouraged. E-mail norine@nvharvestfestival.com with questions.

Organizers will also need volunteers to make the festival a success. "We especially need day-of-the-fair volunteers to chair booths, sell merchandise, and for setup and cleaning," notes Traci-Maloney. Prospective volunteers should contact Kathleen Welch at kath1684@yahoo.com. Artists and vendors who would like to purchase a booth at the fair, e-mail Donna Davis at forbeadin@pacbell.net or Lisa Sharett at leeseandals8@aol.com. Visit www.nvharvestfestival.com for more information about the festival.

Clean It Up, Drop It Off

Got junk you literally can't throw away? Now you can. The Gigantic Three program will bring large debris boxes to James Lick Middle School at 1220 Noe Street near 25th Street on Saturday, July 8, from 8 a.m. until noon. Neighbors can drop off bulky items for garbage, recycling, or composting. Used motor oil and filters, placed in plastic bags and separated from other items, will be accepted, as will non-automotive household batteries and unbroken fluorescent bulbs and tubes. Goodwill Industries will be on site accepting donations for reuse.

If you have extra energy that day, you might want to participate in the official District 8 Community Cleanup Day from 9 a.m. until noon at Harvey Milk Plaza at Castro and Market streets. Volunteers will paint out graffiti, create litter-free zones, and tend to trees in the neighborhood. All supplies are provided and lunch will be served after the event.

Two weeks later, on Saturday, July 22, a Community Clean Team will arrive at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street. There, volunteers will get to work on gardening and beautification projects at the rec center and at other District 8 parks. If enough neighbors want to help out, the cleanup day can be extended to Noe Valley parks. "If there is a want and need for satellite locations, and there are groups that want to work at specific parks, that can be discussed and arranged," explains Naomi Lee, of the San Francisco Clean City Coalition.

For more information or to volunteer, call 552-9201, ext. 10, or visit www.sfcleancity.com.

Louise Brooks Expert Speaks at Silent Film Fest

Noe Valley resident Thomas Gladysz is half of the duo scheduled to introduce the 1929 classic German film Pandora's Box at this year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival. The film stars Louise Brooks as Lulu in what Gladysz describes as "one of the most iconic roles in film history."

Gladysz, who makes his home at 27th and Church streets, is the director of the Louise Brooks Society, which he founded in 1995. He also is the author of a forthcoming book on the actress, Louise Brooks: A Film Miscellany. Artist and filmmaker Bruce Conner, who lives in Glen Park, will also take part in the film's introduction.

The festival, now in its 11th year, takes place July 14 to 16, at the Castro Theatre, on Castro Street near 18th Street. The event will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire by presenting archival newsreel footage from the Library of Congress throughout the festival weekend. Between films, The Booksmith will host appearances by film historians and authors in the theater lobby.

Seventh Heaven, starring Janet Gaynor; Laurel and Hardy's The Finishing Touch, and The Unholy Three, featuring Lon Chaney, are among the other highlights. Special guests include Janet Gaynor's son, Robin Adrian, and Harry Carey Jr., who appeared in Red River. Pandora's Box will be shown at 8:20 p.m. on July 15. The festival reception is also that day, starting at 6:30 p.m.

For more program details or to purchase tickets, visit www.silentfilm.org, call 925-866-9530, or fax 925-866-9597 (an order form is available online). Tickets are also available in person through July 13 at the Festival Box Office, located at 833 Market Street, Suite 812 (open Thursdays and Fridays from noon until 5:30 p.m.). On the day of the show, tickets will be available at the Castro Theatre from 9:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.

How 'Liberal' Became a Dirty Word

"To tell their populist story, conservatives have had to distort the economic and social realities of American life. In their version, the champions of the common people are Republicans and conservatives, and the bullies are a collection of sociology professors, midlevel bureaucrats, Hollywood actors, and newspaper reporters...," writes Fair Oaks Street resident Geoffrey Nunberg in his humorous new book Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times­Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show. Nunberg is a prominent linguist who regularly contributes to National Public Radio's Fresh Air.

Go meet your neighbor and get a copy of his book when Nunberg reads and signs at Modern Times Bookstore, at 888 Valencia Street near 20th Street, on Tuesday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Modern Times at 282-9246. Nunberg is also the author of The Way We Talk Now and Going Nucular.

Art Auction for AIDS

Join art aficionados and AIDS activists for the 10th annual Art for AIDS auction on Friday, Aug. 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The fundraiser will take place at Bonhams and Butterfields, located at 220 San Bruno Avenue at 15th Street.

Participants will have a chance to purchase works by artists such as Rex Ray, Deborah Oropallo, David Smith-Harrison, Peter Berlin, Gustavo Ramos Rivera, Enrique Chigoya, and Titus Woods. Online bidding and a gallery of the available art are online at www.artforaids.com. Some bidders like to sneak a peek in person before the event, so a selection of juried art is on view at ArtHaus Gallery during the month of July. It's located at 411 Brannan Street between Third and Fourth streets and is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Visit ArtHaus online at www.arthaus-sf.com.

Event tickets are $50 in advance or at the door, and include food from top caterers plus a selection of drinks such as premium vodka martinis. Organizers strongly recommend getting your tickets in advance. To buy tickets, call Derek Ngin at 502-7276 or e-mail derek.ngin@ucsf.edu.

Summer Lunches for Kids

An estimated 35,000 low-income children in San Francisco get free meals during the school year--but may not get enough to eat during summer vacation. No child has to go hungry this summer, though, because the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families is providing free lunches every weekday to children 18 or younger regardless of income. The closest lunch site is at 474 Valencia Street near 16th Street.

To find a site in another part of the city, call 800-273-622 or visit www.summerlunch.org. If you don't need a free lunch for a child, pass the word along to someone who might.